


Delicate

by cottonpadenthusiast



Series: The Oneshots [5]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst, Bars and Pubs, Based on a Taylor Swift Song, Confusion, Developing Relationship, Feelings Realization, Fluff and Angst, Insecurity, Loving Harry, M/M, POV Draco Malfoy, Pining, Self-Hatred, Song: Delicate (Taylor Swift), draco being insecure and confused
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-10
Updated: 2018-12-10
Packaged: 2019-09-15 21:38:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 916
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16941210
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cottonpadenthusiast/pseuds/cottonpadenthusiast
Summary: This isn't for the best. Draco's reputation has never been worse. So how could this "thing" between him and Harry Potter ever work?Inspired by the Taylor Swift song, "Delicate."





	Delicate

**Author's Note:**

> All rights of this song belong to Taylor Swift.

 

 

Draco stands alone in the packed muggle bar, the sound of chatter and music deafening. Harry’s message still illuminates his lock screen when he takes his phone from his back pocket.

“I’m at the dive bar on the east side, where u at?”

The second message still makes Draco’s body tingle with excitement when he reads it, but he ignores the butterflies. This isn’t the time for silly, excitable feelings. Those were the type that could get him in trouble.

“Come here, you can meet me in the back.”

The sense of being watched has Draco glancing up from his phone screen. His eyes meet a stunning colour of green and a mischevious grin. Harry Potter. Harry Potter who is wearing a pair of too-tight dark jeans and Nikes and suddenly Draco is finding it hard to breathe. Harry Potter who is gorgeous and Draco still doesn’t know how to handle it.

“Hi.” Harry’s deep voice cuts through the noise.

Draco smiles. “Hi.”

Harry offers his hand to Draco, the smile that does things to Draco etched across his lips. They’ve been doing this for weeks. Meeting in muggle clubs, dancing, kissing, bringing each other home. Draco didn’t know what it was they had, only that it was a bad idea. That whatever they were doing could never work.

But despite this, despite his better judgement, despite everything, Draco took Harry’s outstretched hand. He always would.

 

Harry’s warm body pressed against his. The morning light streaming through the window. Strong arms wrapped around his waist. This didn’t seem real. This didn’t seem fair.

Their clothes were still on. They had come back to Draco’s flat and talked all night. About the war, about their pasts, about themselves. Draco had felt seen, for the first time in years, last night. The feeling of being known, really known, by someone else, was a frightening thing and Draco didn’t know what to make of it. He didn’t know what to make of any of it.

This thing they had was too fragile, too precious for Draco to understand. Both of them were strong. Harry had always been opinionated and stubborn about everything, and Draco was passionate and headstrong. Yet their relationship felt like it could break in Draco’s hands if he wasn’t careful. It was delicate and Draco had a tendency to be clumsy.

Draco allowed his hands to intertwine with Harry’s fingers on his chest, the fingers that felt like heaven running through his blonde hair. He didn’t deserve this, didn’t deserve him. It had been three years since the war had ended, yet it felt like yesterday to Draco and he didn’t know how Harry could even bear the sight of him after all he had done.

Harry didn’t deserve him.

Draco was getting too involved, too obsessed. He couldn’t count the number of nights he had spent hearing the echo of Harry’s footsteps on the stairs, the time spent wishing Harry would stay. Sometimes, he would watch Harry sleep and wonder if he was dreaming of him. Sometimes, he would pretend Harry was his.

Harry Potter would be Draco Malfoy’s downfall.

“What’s wrong?” Harry’s groggy voice ripped Draco from his thoughts.

Draco shook his head, pushing himself up into a seated position. “Nothing,” he sighed.

The head in his lap didn’t look convinced. “You can tell me you know. I’ve been watching you stare angrily into the distance for five minutes straight, so obviously something is worrying you.”

Draco glanced down to the face below him. Telling Harry seemed like a bad idea, but hiding it from him and allowing this to continue seemed worse.

“This, whatever this is, isn’t for the best.” Draco looked to the wall in front. He couldn’t meet Harry’s eyes while he spoke. “My reputation it’s bad, worse than it’s ever been and you don’t deserve that. My past will come back to bite us both.”

“Everyone has a past, Draco. It’s what we do with our future that counts,” Harry’s soft voice almost cut through Draco’s walls, but he managed to continue.

“But you don’t understand. I will ruin us,” Draco croaked out, the emotion heavy in his voice.

Harry sat up and took Draco’s face in his hands. “You won’t ruin us, Draco. If we end, we end but it won’t because of your reputation. I want to try us, I want this to work, but you have to trust me. You have to let me in.”

Draco dragged his gaze back to Harry’s and noticed that his eyes were as wet as Draco’s own, but the warmth he found in them made his heart stammer.

“I feel like you’re gonna regret saying that.”

Harry smiled, pressing a kiss to Draco’s forehead. “I don’t think I will.”

Draco allowed Harry to pull him onto his lap, relishing in the warmth that always seemed to radiate off Harry. He was the sun and Draco was Icarus, destined to burn into flames under Harry’s heat again and again. Yet he did it anyway, because somehow it seemed worth it. Somehow, Harry was worth it all.

Draco rested his head on Harry’s shoulder. “If we are going to do this, you have to like me for me. None of your gryffindor saviour nonsense. And we can’t make any promises because it’s too…we are to…”

“Delicate?” Harry provided.

Draco nodded, smiling slightly. “Yeah. Delicate.”

Draco was beginning to think that maybe that wasn’t such a bad thing. Maybe the best things were.


End file.
